When you’re craving the fresh, tangy flavors of spring, but are still waiting for almost everything in the garden to start growing, the solution is a spring pesto made with chickweed and green garlic. This spring pesto recipe is easy to make, packed with flavor, and the perfect topping for pizza, pasta, and more!
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is an edible and medicinal plant, often thought of as a weed because it is so common! Here in Northeast Missouri, we often find it near creek bottoms in the deciduous forest. After a few years, it made its way into our garden, likely via purchased hay. It is recognizable by its white, star-shaped flowers (hence the Latin name Stellaria) and thin line of hair on the stems.
(Note: Scarlet Pimpernel is a plant that looks very similar to Chickweed. Be sure you are properly identifying anything you plan to eat, either by going out into the field with an expert, consulting a guide, or taking a Botany and Wildcrafting course, like this one, that teaches plant identification.)
Chickweed is also packed with vitamins and minerals, and tastes delicious both raw and lightly cooked. I love to make spring salads with overwintered spinach and kale, dandelion leaves, and chickweed.
Green garlic is simply immature garlic that has not yet formed cloves. It closely resembles a leek or a scallion, and has an intense garlic-onion flavor. I often find green garlic growing in the past year’s garlic beds – inevitably, I leave a clove or two behind when I harvest! In my garden, I can harvest finger-width green garlic by the middle of April, making it one of the first gifts of the spring garden.
Spring Pesto Ingredients
2 packed cups of Chickweed
3-4 stalks of green garlic, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup organic olive oil
1/4 cup cashews (optional)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
How to Make Spring Pesto
- Place all ingredients into a food processor or strong blender (like this one).
- Process for 30-60 seconds, adding additional olive oil if necessary, until smooth.
- Adjust taste as necessary by adding more sea salt.
- Serve immediately, or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator until use.
- Alternatively, you can freeze small batches in 4 ounce mason jars to enjoy the flavor of spring at any time!
If you don’t have enough chickweed, feel free to augment with other wild greens such as nettle or dandelion leaves. If you don’t have green garlic available, you can substitute 2-3 garlic cloves. You may also want to check out my cilantro pesto recipe for another fun variation on the classic pesto!
We enjoyed our first batch of the season on homemade pizza, baked in our outdoor pizza oven. Delicious!
Spring Pesto with Chickweed and Green Garlic
Enjoy the flavors of spring with this spring pesto recipe. Made with chickweed, a wild edible weed, and green garlic, immature garlic, this delicious pesto recipe is a great topping for pizza or pasta!
Ingredients
- 2 packed cups of Chickweed
- 3-4 stalks of green garlic, chopped into 1″ pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/3 cup organic olive oil
- 1/4 cup cashews (optional)
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a food processor or strong blender (like this one).
- Process for 30-60 seconds, adding additional olive oil if necessary, until smooth.
- Adjust taste as necessary by adding more sea salt.
- Serve immediately, or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator until use.
- Alternatively, you can freeze small batches in 4 ounce mason jars to enjoy the flavor of spring at any time!
Notes
f you don’t have enough chickweed, feel free to augment with other wild greens such as nettle or dandelion leaves. If you don’t have green garlic available, you can substitute 2-3 garlic cloves. You may also want to check out my cilantro pesto recipe for another fun variation on the classic pesto!
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
[…] Chickweed […]